Drama as DSS DG’s Wife bars Gubernatorial Candidate from boarding plane
Aisha Bichi the Wife of the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) Yusuf Bichi, has reportedly prevented Engineer Abba Yusuf, the state gubernatorial candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), from boarding a flight.
It was learned that the trouble started after the motorcade of Abba Yusuf allegedly delayed Mrs. Bichi’s convoy from gaining access into the VIP lounge.
This, was said to have prompted her security details to step into the situation to clear the path, which in the process led to an altercation between the security details and aides of the gubernatorial candidate.
According to Daily Trust, a source who pleaded anonymity, disclosed that the situation degenerated into a confrontation between Yusuf and Mrs. Bichi when the former approached the latter over the incident.
“The situation escalated after she told Abba that they will not board the same flight as earlier scheduled, and she spotted one of his aides, Garba Kilo, filming,” the source said.
Kilo, who was said to have been beaten up on the orders of Mrs. Bichi, was reportedly taken to the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital for treatment.
“They beat him (Kilo) up badly, and this is what probably made Abba insist that he will board the same flight with her as scheduled, which angered her more, and she ordered his arrest,” the source said.
It was further gathered that another reinforcement of the secret police restrained the gubernatorial candidate until the flight of Mrs. Bichi took off.
But a senior official of the DSS, who was present during the clash but asked not to be named, said the whole issue could have been avoided and that it was wrong to describe the wife of the DSS boss as the aggressor.
While Sanusi Bature, the spokesman of the NNPP candidate, could not be reached for comment, the spokesman of the DSS, Dr. Peter Afunanya, told Daily Trust that the report of personnel of the service brutalising a citizen was unfounded, saying “nobody was brutalised by the Service; we enforce the law within the rules of engagement.”
He said reports that the gubernatorial candidate was arrested “is a baseless gossip that does not require the attention of the Service, a professional newspaper or a journalist”.
Speaking at the 38th Anti-Corruption Situation Room in Abuja, Olukoyede detailed how ministers, directors, and other prominent figures from various government agencies sent him substantial gifts, including cheques and drafts.
At the time, Olukoyede was serving as the Secretary of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Recalling the moment he received these offers, he explained that upon returning to his family home in Ekiti State before the funeral, his gatekeeper handed him the cheques.
After reviewing the documents, Olukoyede made the decision to return the gifts, underscoring his commitment to integrity even during a personal loss.
The EFCC chairman narrated, “I lost my mother in the year 2019 (in Ekiti State). We went for the funeral. I was the secretary of the EFCC then. People came. So I went to my place a day before the funeral service.
“By the time I got to my small compound, which I built several years ago before I joined the EFCC, I saw about 17 cows in my compound, including pregnant ones.
“When I got home, my gate man presented a box to me and inside it, I saw so many cheques and drafts from ministers, permanent secretaries, directors, DGs of agencies, etc.
“And so, I went in and showed it to my wife. She said, ‘Praise God’. I said, ‘Praise God for what?’ By the time we put all the cheques together, it counted close to N500m.
“I did the burial in September 2019. By July 2020, I was under investigation. Now, assuming all those cheques were paid into my account as traditional gifts and some of the MDAs that we were investigating in the EFCC, some of their directors and their DGs and their ministers sent cheques to me.
“Ordinarily, I mean for burial, some gave me one million, N20m and all of that. Even though that would not have influenced my decision if I was in a position to determine what would happen to their investigations, how would I have explained before a panel that they saw cheques paid into my account?”
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Another increase coming as FG plans to standardise electricity tariffs for band B, C customers
Another increase coming as FG plans to standardise electricity tariffs for band B, C customers
The Federal Government is set to implement new measures aimed at standardizing electricity tariffs across the country to eliminate discrepancies in the current billing system and attract further investments into the power sector.
This announcement was made by Chief Adebayo Adelabu, the Minister of Power, who highlighted the need for a more equitable pricing structure.
Currently, there is a significant difference in electricity rates between different customer bands. Consumers in Band B, who typically receive 17 to 18 hours of electricity supply daily, are charged N63 per kilowatt-hour.
However, those in Band A, who receive just two more hours of supply, pay a steep N209 per kilowatt-hour.
Adelabu criticised this disparity as “unfair” and called for a comprehensive overhaul of the tariff system. He emphasized that regularizing the rates would ensure a more balanced pricing model, which could, in turn, stimulate investment and create a more sustainable energy market.
“We will look at the tariff again. I am not saying that we’re going to increase the tariff before I am misquoted.
“We are going to look at it and see how we can improve upon our modest achievement of last year, not only to ensure that we grow the sector that we need, but also to ensure that we can invest more in revamping all these dilapidated infrastructures,” he said.
The minister further explained that the transition to Band A should have progressed more quickly, but it became evident that the Distribution Companies (DisCos) have been reluctant to invest in the sector, hindering the process.
“A lot of investment is required for us to achieve an accelerated migration of lower-band customers into Band A. It is taking a lot of time,” he said.
The government is working on restructuring the tariff bands to narrow the significant gap between them, with a proposed new system that will include Bands A, B, and C.
“The gap between the Band A tariffs and Bands B, C, D, and E is just too wide,” he said. “We believe it’s not fair. It is not just, and we must be able to carry out some level of regularisation.”
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JUST IN; Obasa claims Meranda resigns as Lagos State Assembly Speaker
JUST IN; Obasa claims Meranda resigns as Lagos State Assembly Speaker
Sacked Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, on Thursday claimed that his successor, Mojisola Meranda, had resigned as leader of the parliament.
Obasa made this assertion during an interview on Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today.
The lawmaker alleged that Meranda resigned during a peace meeting held at the Lagos House in Marina last weekend.
According to him: “At the meeting held in Marina, which was attended by all party leaders, it was made clear—hopefully in the presence of all members—that Meranda herself announced her resignation. She stated that she had stepped down.
“Now, when someone resigns from office, the associated paraphernalia is taken away. So, the question arises: Have you also resigned? Because we understand that part of the arrangement was for you to step down as well.
“Let them present the resignation letter. And if I were to resign, would I still be here? I’m sure you would still address me as Speaker, even though we’ve never had a conversation before.”